Raising the Roof – There’s Nowhere to Go But Up

By Jason Tolliver

Over the past 20 years, the average rentable building area (RBA) for newly delivered warehouses has increased drastically. Thanks to eCommerce and the desire to optimize “cubage” to get the most bang for your buck, buildings have been expanding both out and up. In fact, our research shows that the average ceiling height for newly constructed warehouses has grown seven feet in the last 20 years – from 25-foot clear in the late nineties to 32-foot clear today. In mega-sized distribution buildings, 36 feet is common, with clear heights rising past 40 feet in some cases.

Development Magazine recently published a column by our research team on the topic.

Though many traditional industrial tenants do not currently require a higher ceiling height, the design trend to raise the roof to 32 feet or higher is attractive to potential occupiers who will be competing in a crowded, omni-channel world. For these occupiers, the extra space may just be the difference between success and failure, bankruptcy or profit. Still, increasing clear height isn’t as straightforward as it may appear.

Read the full Development Magazine column HERE to see how high developers can go as they continue to raise the roof.